The more I study history and read the original quotes and documents from our founding father’s, the more I am confident that our country was founded upon Christian ideals.  I thought I’d start a collection of some of my favorite quotes which support this fact.  I realize that our founders were not perfect….some were Deists and unbelievers.  All were sinners.  Many though were devout Christians who were trusting in Christ and used the Bible as their measuring rod and guide.  I’m learning that our founding documents like the Constitution were inspired by the principles taught in scripture.  We do not have a “godless constitution” as some claim today.

I’m going to put some of these quotes to memory; perhaps you will join me. ~Anne

“The foundations of our society and our government rests so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.”  Calvin Coolidge

“Go to the Scriptures.  The joyful promises it contains will be a balm to all your troubles.”   Andrew Jackson

“The Bible is the one supreme source of revelation of the meaning of life, the nature of God, and spiritual nature and need of men.  It is the only guide of life that really leads the spirit in the way of peace and salvation.”        Woodrow Wilson

(This one from President Lincoln is so relevant for us now)  Read more...

A drop of water

smoke spiraling from a chimney

a twig

a lady bug

ice melting

hearts beating

caterpillars creeping

babies nursing

the flutter of a butterfly’s wings

silk worms crunching mulberry leaves

a bruised leg

rainbow

fog

smelling a flower

tasting rain

petting a furry kitten

listening to silence

a floating cork

children growing

a freckled nose

reflections

shadows

darkness

light

pushing a wagon

making bubbles

blowing through a straw

wind curly hair

spider web

rocks

wheels

touching sand

death

birth

life

“After the knowledge of, and obedience to, the will  of God, the next aim must be to know something of His attributes of wisdom, power and goodness as evidenced by his handiwork”

James Juole

I don’t think there is a “right” order to teach history. I guess that decision can be made using several influences… like what you’ve spent time studying in the past, your children’s interest, maybe an area you feel passionate about, etc. I didn’t really have a schedule… I worked through history the same way I scrapbook… chronologically. : ) But that isn’t necessary. You really can study any time period that interests you, or that you feel is important to spend time on.

We also read lots of historical fiction or biography books along our history timeline, and watched movies (usually older ones), that went with the timeline or that were made from the books we read.

A few titles that we pulled in:

G. A. Henty books or books on tape for ancienct Egypt and Roman times, etc. (check out Henty titles)
Titles from Sonlight and Veritas Press catalog history sections that worked with our timeline.
Three Muskateers
Mutiny on the Bounty ( book and old Clark Gable movie)
Man in the Iron Mask
Gone with the Wind ( movie only)
Robin Hood ( old movie with Errol Flynn)
Westerns and War movies ( older movies – some John Wayne, etc. )

These are just a few ideas. We loved that we could make some popcorn, have a movie night, and it was part of school! : )  Read more...

I don’t want to give the impression that the things we chose to do or use were perfect or sacred. They weren’t. But the Lord was so wonderfully faithful to direct our steps, and reveal His plan for us, along the way. He may lead you in a different direction, depending on His plans for your family or your growing child. So the heart of my message would be… be faithful to our calling to home disciple our children, all the way through, and the Lord will be faithful to us and will direct our paths as He completes His work in us and our kids. : )

I have many friends and acquaintances who also homeschooled their children through graduation, and I am often so impressed by how the Lord directed their steps, and tailored their education to suit their specific family needs. It didn’t always look just like our homeschool course, but it was the right fit for each family. He is just so awesome.

I am always happy to share what we used and what worked well for us, knowing that I am not suggesting it is the only way, but maybe it will give others some direction, as they seek the Lord.  Read more...

I love home schooling high school. What I have to share is long, but I sincerely hope it will be helpful info as you make decisions for your family. There is so much to talk about on this subject.

I have been homeschooling for 15 years, and have graduated one son, who is now 19 and attending our junior college, with plans to transfer to a local university to finish his accounting degree. ( I also have 2 younger ones, coming up behind him.) What an incredible journey it has been… this homeschooling high school. I remember how intimidating it was, as I stood on that threshold, right where you are now. But God is so faithful, and He will guide you each step, as you continue to be faithful to His calling on your life to home educate and disciple your children, all the way to the finish line. This season of high school is the harvest season for all the time we have devoted to the basics. At the same time, I believe it is a very important time of discipleship and a most rewarding time as a parent. It will set the stage for your relationship with that child, as a young adult.  Read more...

I love Abeka history.  I thought I’d share a bit of what we read today.  Sounds like good old fashioned common sense to me. ~Anne

Daily Life and Work~Families   

The American home in 1900 was a place where most children learned to honor their parents, to be courteous and honest in their dealings, to be obedient and submissive to authority, and to distinguish right from wrong.  The father was the head of the house, and the mother was his honored companion and helper.  Children were lovingly taught what was expected of them and lovingly punished when they disobeyed.

The Bible was read daily in many homes, and families usually prayed before meals as well as at other times.  Many families were poor by today’s standards, but they were happy, because they had values more important than money.

Children often heard the old familiar sayings whose truths had helped to make America great:

*A penny saved is a penny earned.

*waste not, want not.

*Cleanliness is next to godliness.

*early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

*Honesty is the best policy.

*A stitch in time saves nine.

*Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

*A man’s word is his bond.

These and other sayings, most of which had been part of the American character since the time of Benjamin Franklin and before, helped the children of 1900 to become honest, hard-working individuals who would help our country continue prospering.

It may sound strange to some, but my husband and I never prayed about whether or not to homeschool our children. It was just so obvious to us that this was the only option. We based our decision on God’s commands and advice throughout the Bible and also considered the worldview, philosophy and atmosphere of the government schools today.
There are some things you just don’t need to pray about. If the Bible is clear on something, it would be wrong to pray about it because God will never contradict his own words. Our Christianity is not a mystical thing but is based upon the word of God which is our ultimate authority, compass and guide.

If we happened to watch the news at night or read a newspaper our decision was confirmed again. How could we send our children to be trained and discipled by anyone else when God has told us to teach them? How could we expect our children to grow up prepared and strong in the Lord, if we sent them off to an institution which does not share in these Biblical values and will almost always undermine them.

Some parents we’ve come into contact with have expressed that the Bible does not address homeschooling. Because of this, they will just “pray about it” and see if the Lord gives them peace or not. Some even ask the Lord to “open the door” if it is to be. Although it is true that the Bible does not speak of homeschooling since school had not come into fashion yet, the Bible does have much to say about training and teaching children, and it clearly tells us what is important and what we should prioritize. When we considered the following scriptures we came to the conclusion that homeschooling was the only way to go.

Luke 6:40 states that “A student is not above his teacher, and that everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.”  Do you want your christian child to emulate their secular humanist teacher?
We all know Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.  How are you supposed to train your child when you only have about an hour a day to do so?

Duet 6 & 7 states, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, and when you lie down…So we need to talk a lot about God’s commands….morning, noon, and night.

Psalm 1 reminds us to not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. So…we should not receive counsel from non-believers.

Proverbs 1:7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and verse 8 says “Listen my son to your Father’s instruction and do not forsake your Mother’s teaching.” Do you think the schools will teach them to fear the Lord? I think they used to at one time, but not anymore. They do not allow God in their classrooms.

Paul reminds us in Romans 12 to be transformed by the renewing of our minds and II Cor 10:5 commands us to demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.  Will the government schools choose curriculum that will do this?

Paul told Timothy to turn away from godless chatter and opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge. Maybe we should turn away from opposing ideas and godless chatter?

It is astonishing to me and humbling that the Lord would allow us to have this huge responsibility. It is impossible to do without His help. I need His help every single hour of my day…even more than I realize.  Even though homeschoolers have much more time with their children than public school families do….it seems like there are not enough years to do it. My prayer is for wisdom and that the Lord will multiply our efforts.

I know there are folks who believe that they can follow these commands and still have their children in a classroom…but I find this hard to believe. There are just not enough hours left in a day after school, homework, meals, baths, paperwork, television etc. are completed to teach and mentor our children.  In addition, we have to try to deprogram and reverse the damage done each day. The chipping away at the christian worldview is often very subtle and nothing that our children can even put into words when asked, “What did you learn in school today?”

For the believer, the Bible is really clear. In order to obey these scriptures we have to put in the time with our children. This time is just not available when they are gone from us all day.
In Voddie Baucham’s lecture “Whoever controls the Schools, controls the World” he boldly cries ”  I am raising an army of intercontinental ballistic missiles and one day the silo is going to open over my home and when it does, there will be missiles launched to impact this world who have been trained, armed and honed in my home and not by Caesar.” Amen Voddie!!! Amen!!!

Thanks for reading my ramblings.

~Anne

Do you have a  particular homeschooling method or style?  Are you  using a  Charlotte Mason, Unit study,  Classical, Textbook,  Principle,  Unschooler, or eclectic approach?  If you are like me you may be unsure, and may say you are drawn to an eclectic homeschooling style.  My dilemma is that I like a bit about every single approach, and refuse to commit to one and make it my own.
Even if I choose a certain curriculum,  I end up only liking some aspects in it,  so I’m  often anxious to “tweak”  it a bit.  For example,  when my boys were younger we used a science curriculum called “Considering God’s Creation.”   We loved the songs,  loved the text, agreed with the message,  but found some of the projects to be a waste of time.  We adjusted it to fit our style.  Same thing for our phonics program.  For phonics we combined “Alphabet Island“, Abeka, and the wisdom of Ruth Beechick.  We probably threw in some Susan Wise Bauer as well.  It accomplished our goal  though and everybody learned to read!!  I guess that’s the beauty of homeschooling…….we have the freedom to adjust the curriculum to fit our family.
When I first read about  Charlotte Mason, I was so impressed.  It seemed so healthy and balanced. We used nature journals and went for walks in the mornings.  We tried to cultivate good habits like she suggested.  Some of them stuck but many didn’t.  We live in the desert……can you imagine spending the 5  hours a day outside in the desert heat as Charlotte recommends ?  I can barely step outside to get the mail!!  I had to remind myself that Charlotte came from Victorian England.  Things were quite different then,  and children could play outside all day in safety. Plus,  it was probably nice and cool and overcast.  My boys learned to cook,  play the piano, draw and make a really good cup of tea. Then I realized they were not little girls!!  I began to ask my husband to teach them to use a bow & arrow, fix things around the house,  and do “manly things” before I turned them into…..well anyway we’ve added some other projects and are working though our Contenders of the Faith curriculum.  Contenders of the Faith are sort of like Boy Scout manuals except from a very Christian perspective.  Read more...

So often at the end of our homeschool day I ask the question that many homeschool Mom’s ask, “Did I do enough?”  Sometimes my  friend and homeschool mentor will call me and ask “Did you have a good school day today?”  As we sit at the dinner table my dear husband will often ask our  boys “What did you learn today?”

So often I think about what we did not get done.  Let me see….we did not get to our Apologia Science today.  Oh dear,  we did not get to our “Jump In” writing program.  We did not write our vocabulary sentences today….and we did not do our copywork.  Oops, we did not get to our “Daily Grams.”  Yikes!  I did not listen to them read aloud today!

What did we do….how did we spend our time today and did we learn anything at all? Would my boys have accomplished more if they were in a classroom?

Inspite of our schedule, my heart is full tonight.  As I write,  I feel as though we had a really good day, even though our list was not completed.  We talked a lot today.  We talked about the Founding Fathers  and how they shared the Gospel and spoke of the Savior in  their last Will and Testaments.  We learned that most were devout Christians. We discussed what revisionist history meant.  We watched a video on the founding fathers.  Read more...

The definition of a homeschooler seems to have become so blurred, that I feel compelled to write once again about this issue.  I am going to be very straightfoward in order to be clear. Are you a legal homeschooler when you sign up for a charter school program?

Because the charter school programs are calling themselves homeschool programs, true homeschoolers have  been made more vulnerable. For over 18 years now HSLDA has fought for the rights of families to homeschool with minimal regulations.  If homschoolers contiune to rely on these government programs to help them homeschool their children,  homechooling liberties will continue to be whittled away.
When I say that those in charter schools are not true homeschoolers, I am talking legal terms.  Legally, if you are enrolled in a charter school program, you are not homeschooling  but are in the public school.   It may seem as though the words and definitions are no big deal,  but in fact the words we use have huge consequences as they describe what is actually legal and true.  For example,  if one enrolls in a public school charter, HSLDA does not recognize them or even allow them to join. Why is this so? After all you are at home with your children all day.   This is not to be unfriendly but just because it would be futile and silly to defend “homeschoolers” in public school programs. Please know and understand that you are no longer a homeschooler if you are enrolled in a government program. You are infact setting up a little public school in your home.  Read more...

As I write this month, I have a lot on my mind and heart regarding this calling of homeschooling. I am reluctant to share some of it, because anytime we share from our gut, we are made vulnerable. I never like that feeling. : ) Yet, I am compelled to share a few things.

I have been praying and thinking about this journey. What is my passion, regarding homeschooling? What are my concerns? Joys? Successes? Failures? What are yours? I realize and respect that the “vision” may be different for each family. Your homeschool journey may look different from mine. You may have different definitions, goals, etc. The circumstances that led you to homeschool may be entirely different from mine. With that understanding, I will share a little of our story. Most who know me well, know that I am passionate about independent homeschooling, K-12. It is my calling. And on days when I don’t “feel” the calling, it is my conviction. So I look to resources that will inspire me and help to equip me for that long journey all the way through high school, help remind me of the costs… both of home schooling and NOT homeschooling my children.

Sometimes the stresses of life and the attack of the enemy wear us down, until we are weary and vulnerable to choosing other options for educating our children… options we really are not comfortable with, never thought we would consider. For me, educating my children is a form of discipling my children. So, there is no other option. I am committed. A little like marriage.  Read more...